Pyrocatechol its sulfonic acid is often present in the urine of many mammals. Small amounts of catechol occur naturally in fruits and vegetables along with the enzyme polyphenol oxidase. Upon mixing the enzyme with the substrate and exposure to oxygen (as when a potato or apple is cut) the colorless catechol oxidizes to reddish-brown benzoquinone derivatives.

α-Galactosylceramide is a synthetic glycolipid with antitumorial and immunostimulatory and is a very potent NKT cell agonist and binds effectively to CD1d. The complex of α-Galactosylceramide and CD1d can bind to the T cell antigen receptor of NKT cells.

Steppogenin exhibits significant tyrosinase inhibition activity, ;it also shows strong mushroom tyrosinase inhibitory activity with IC(50) values lower than 50 microM, more potent than kojic acid (IC(50) = 71.6 microM), a well-known tyrosinase inhibitor.